Garda Siochana

The Garda Síochána ("Guardian of Peace") is the police force of Ireland, founded on 22 February 1922 as the police force of the Irish Free State. Its members, known as Gardai, have been involved in fighting against criminal and terrorist elements such as the Irish Republican Army and the Irish Mob, and the agency has cooperated with the United Kingdom's Royal Ulster Constabulary to imprison IRA terrorists during the IRA's insurgency and The Troubles. In 2015, the force had 16,328 personnel.